Does Ponga need to work on his tackling technique?

After becoming the seventh player in State of Origin history to be sent off following a shoulder charge on Manly’s Tolu Koula in Game I, Kalyn Ponga is once again under fire for his tackling technique.

In the first half of Newcastle’s 30-32 loss against the Melbourne Storm on Friday night, the fullback scrambled and prevented Will Warbrick from scoring a try on the right.

But the Queensland representative did so by leading with his shoulder in a tucked position.

This time, Ponga managed to dislodge the ball with Warbrick being more upright in the attempted tackle, compared to Koula, who was being brought down by Sam Walker.

While there was no head contact with the Storm winger, there were plenty of concerns with the superstar’s approach.

Reflecting on the moment, Chad Townsend believed that Ponga slightly tucked his shoulder.

But as the 2016 Premiership player noted, tackling technique may not be front of mind given how close Melbourne came to scoring.

“My initial thoughts when I was watching this, I was like, ‘Wow, it looked it was obviously a big collision’,” Townsend told SEN’s Saturday League Kick-Off.

“It looks like he slightly tucked the shoulder 100%.

“But then I'm thinking to myself, if you're going at 100 miles an hour to put your body on the line and stop a try, like, technique goes out the window, right?

“You're doing anything you can to stop a try, and he did that, Kalyn Ponga.”

But despite not being referred to the judiciary for the incident, Denan Kemp thinks that Ponga might need to change his approach to ensure his safety.

“I think he needs to work on his technique,” Kemp explained.

“I admire his bravery. I love the fact that he's literally putting his body on the line every single time.

“He's gotta work on his technique though because unfortunately…I hate to put it on his shoulders, but it did cost Queensland an Origin win in Game One.

“He definitely needs to work on the technique. I think the days of fullbacks flying across and jamming a bloke out (are probably gone).

“If you're flying across like that, you increase the likelihood of knocking yourself out by like a million (per cent).”

The Knights will take their second bye for the season next week, making them well rested for their next clash against the Dragons in Round 16.

That takes place on June 19 at McDonald Jones Stadium with kick-off at 8pm AEST.